Dispensing machine



D. L.. SMHTH DISPENSING MACHINE Filed Feb. 23, 1952 Patented Jan. 15, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

The invention relates to machines for dispensing articles such as sugar.

Ordinary dispensing machines are usually of such design and construction that the articles contained in the machine for dispensing are subjected to considerable rubbing and abrasive action between themselves and the machine parts during the operation of the machine. A factor that has tended to bring about this condition is the desirability of maintaining the articles in extremely close and compact relation during the entire time the articles are contained in the machine so as to thus afford a maximum holding capacity and minimum of refilling operations for a given size of machine. This rubbing and abrasive action renders the previous machines entirely unsuitable for handling articles such as lump sugar, since the action aforesaid serves to crumble the sugar, and the intimate contact between the lumps hampers relative movement therebetween. In accordance howeverwith my invention while I provide for an intimate association of the articles and a corresponding large capacity of the machine, practically no relative movement between the articles is arranged to be effected while in contact, and in this manner the waste and marring attendant the crumbling of the articles will be avoided, and at the same time the free and smooth operation of the machine will not be resisted.

Another feature or object of my invention is the provision of a machine of the character described in which will be assured the even distriution of the articles within the machine and the consequent retention of the proper balance of the latter as the articles are successively withdrawn from the machine in the use thereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterdescribed in which a short and easy movement of a manually operating lever will effect a rotation and subsequent locking of the article magazine, and a complete delivery of an article from the machine.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawing:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a dispensing machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view of the dispenser taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a side view, at right angles to Figure 1, of the means of eifecting'the operation of the magazine used in the machine.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modified means of effecting magazine operation.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary developed view of the cam used as part of the means shown in Figure 4.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the machine 2 is designed for dispensing sugar in cube or lump form, but it is obvious that articles of other nature and form may be used in the machine. As illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 the machine comprises a casing 3 having centrally disposed therein a hollow vertical shaft14, the lower end of which is supported on. a plate 6 fixedly held within the bottom of the casing, while the upper end of the shaft is releasably retained in a cover plate 7 removably' positioned. over the top of the casing. Preferably the casing is: formed of upper andv lower sections 8 and 9, the first section 8 being of a transparent material such as glass whereas the lower section 9 is of metal and designed to support the other section.

Mounted for rotation about the shaft 4,. such as by means of a spider 12 which has a ballbearing' support against endwise displacement on the shaft, is a magazine 13 designed to hold the lumps of sugar or other articles which the machine is to dispense. The magazine is provided with a plurality of closely associated vertical channels or compartments 14 arranged side by side around the circumference of the magazine. Preferably the side of the channel at the periphery of the magazine is open so that the contents of the channel are'readily visible from the exterior of the casing through the glass wall thereof. The channels are closed at the bottom by a Wall 17 so that the lumps of sugar orv other articles to be dispensed may be: supported therein and stacked to the'top of the channel." Access to the channels is afforded by removing the cover 7. Each channel is preferably ofa width corresponding in a loose way to the width of the sugar lump so that but a single row of the lumps may be stacked in the channel. It is obvious however that the channels may be designed so that each may hold aplurality of rows or stacks. In order to retain the lumps in the channels and thus prevent their rubbing against the glass casing during the rotation ofthe magazine, I provide short inwardly extending flanges 18 at the open side of each channel.

Formed in the casing wall opposite the portion of the magazine in which the lowermost lump in each channel is arranged to be contained, is an opening 19 through which the sugar lumps are dispensed from the machine, and means are provided for rotating the magazine so as to successively position one channel after-- the other opposite said opening whereby the lowermost lump in the channels may be withdrawn therefrom and projected through said opening as the channels pass opposite thereto. In this embodiment said means is in the form of a pawl and ratchet mechanism and comprises a spring pressed pawl 21 mounted on an arm 22 for oscillation relative to the shaft 4 and arranged to engage in ratchet-notches 23 conveniently formed on the annular face 24 of the magazine spider 12. The notches are circumferentially spaced in accordance with the spacing of the channels and the pawl is designed on each complete oscillation, that is a back stroke and a return stroke, to advance the ratchet one notch, and thereby move one channel out of registry with the discharge opening and place the next channel into registration therewith. It will be understood that the pawl and ratchetnotches are formed in the usual manner whereby movement of the ratchet, and consequently the magazine, will take place only on the advance stroke.

Oscillation of the pawl carrying arm 22 may be effected by means of levers 26 and 27, horizontal oscillation of the connecting point between the lever 26 and the arm 22 being translated from vertical reciprocation of a plunger 28 slidably disposed in the shaft 4 and connected to lever 27 by a pin 29. Vertical movement of the plunger against the resistance of a spring 31 is afforded by depression of a control lever 32 accessible from the exterior of the casing and connected to the plunger. Depression of the exposed end 34 of the lever 32 will, as may be readily seen, cause the arm 22 to oscillate in one direction, whereas on release of said end the spring 31 will force the plunger down and cause the return movement of said arm.

In Figures 4 and 5, I have shown a modified means of effecting the progressive rotation of the magazine. As here shown there is aflixed to the magazine a cam member 36 provided with a generally zig-zag shaped slot 3'7 which extends annularly about the shaft 4 in concentric relation thereto. rality of successive like sections 38 each of which includes a substantially vertical portion 39 and a contiguous oblique portion 41. Engaging in the slot, preferably at diametrically opposed sides, is a cross bar 42 engaging in a vertical slot 43 in the shaft and secured to a plunger 28'. The cam portions 39 are spaced circumferentially similar to the spacing of the magazine channels, and normally the cross bar 42 rests at the bottom of such portions since whenever the bar is disposed in such portion a channel will be in registration with the sugar discharge opening. It will be seen that when the cross bar is successively elevated and retracted, such as by depressing and releasing a control lever similar to the lever 32, the magazine will have been advanced sufficiently to move one channel out of registry with said opening and another channel placed into registration therewith, the ad vancing movement being effected by engagement of the bar on the upstroke with the oblique surface 44 of the portion 39, and by engagement of the bar on the down stroke with the oblique face of the portion 41, it being noted that the advance of the magazine on the upstroke serves to place the bar in proper position for engaging the cam portion 41 on the return stroke.

Means are provided for causing the lump of sugar opposite the discharge opening to be The slot is formed of a pluejected from the channel and evicted through the opening on depression of the lever and without interfering with the rotation of the magazine by the operation of the lever. Furthermore such ejection and eviction of the sugar is arranged to take place without the latter being burdened with the weight of the superposed lumps in the channel and for that matter without contact with any of the other lumps in any manner. As clearly shown in Figure 1, said means comprises a lever 46 fulcrumed at a point below the fulcrum of the control lever 32 and having an arm 4'7 which is arranged on oscillation of the lever 46 to move in and out of the channel happening to be located opposite the opening 19. Access of the arm to channels is afforded through an opening 48 provided in the portion of the back wall of each channel in the immediate rear of the lowermost lump of sugar therein. The lever 46 is normally held in a retracted position by means of a spring 49 and movement of the lever to an extended position against the action of the spring is arranged to be effected by the depression of lever 32, the latter being provided with an extension 51 which is disposed on the inner arm 52 of lever 32, and designed to engage a rear face 53 of lever 46 so that upon depression of lever 32 the lever 46 will be forced by the inner arm 52 to extended relation. It will be noted that since the fulcrum points of the levers 32 and 46 are not the same, the point of engagement between the levers during the oscillation thereof will vary, and the levers are so designed with respect to one another that when lever 46 has been moved sufficiently forward to completely eject the lowermost sugar from the channel and discharge same from the opening 19, lever 46 will slip out of engagement with extension 51 and return under the action of spring 49 to its retracted position independently of lever 32. In this manner, before the lever 32 is released so as to effect the partial rotation of the magazine, the lever 46 will have become disengaged from the magazine and the movement of the latter not interfered with. Preferably the extension 51 is somewhat yieldable transversely so that when lever 32 returns to normal position the extension may readily slip along the side of lever 46 to engage the rear face 53.

Secured to the lever 46 and arranged to be projected therewith into the channel, is a separating member 54 which is designed to enter between the bottom lump and the one thereover and thereby hold the latter as well as the lumps supported thereon, free and clear of the bottom lump. In this way when lever 46 ejects the bottom lump from the channel the latter will not only be relieved of the weight of all of the lumps in said channel, but no rubbing action between the lump being ejected and the one thereabove can take place. It will also be noted that the member 54, which is preferably of resilient material, prevents the lumps from dropping down the channel until the lever 46 has been completely withdrawn therefrom.

It will now be clear that the means of my invention is well adapted to the accomplishment of the objects hereinbefore referred to, and that the dispensing of articles such as sugar in quantities, measure, or size most generally preferred, is readily afforded in a manner insuring absolute sanitation.

I claim:

1. In a machine for dispensing articles of the character described, a casing having a discharge opening for the articles, a magazine movable within said casing and having compartments for said articles arranged to successively register with said opening, means operative to position and hold said compartments one after another in registration with said opening, and a member advanceable by said means to engage and to eject thru said opening the article in a compartment, said member being retractable from engagement with said article independent from said means.

2. A machine for dispensing sugar or the like in lumps, comprising a casing aifording an exit opening for the lumps, a magazine rotatable therein about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of circumferentially-disposed vertically extending compartments each arranged to support a stack of lumps and to register with said opening, means operative to advance said magazine and to hold the compartments successively in registration with said opening, and means advanceable by said first means to eject from a compartment a lump therefrom when in registration with said opening and being retractable independent of said first means.

3. A machine for dispensing sugar or the like in lumps, comprising a casing affording an exit opening for the lumps, a magazine rotatable therein about a vertical axis and provided with a plurality of circumferentially-disposed vertically extending compartments each arranged to support a stack of lumps and to register with said opening, means operative during substantially but one of two strokes thereof to advance the magazine to position one of said compartments after another in registration with said opening, a member advanceable by said first means to evict from a compartment a lump therefrom when in registration with said opening, said member being advanceable and retractable during the other of the strokes aforesaid, and means carried by said member and serving during the discharge of a lump from a compartment to separate from said lump the remaining lumps in the compartment.

DANIEL LESESNE SMITH. 

